Photos: Mystery buyer closing in on a little bit of heaven called Mount Manresa on Staten Island

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Mount Manresa Jesuit Retreat House, a spiritual bastion for legions of Staten Islanders for more than a century, is in contract to be sold.

The Fort Wadsworth sanctuary, whose doors will close at month’s end, is in “hard contract” to sell, said Michael Schneider of Massey Knakal Realty Services in Manhattan, which is marketing the 15.4-acre property.

Citing a confidentiality agreement, Schneider declined Thursday to identify the buyer and the selling price, as did the Rev. Vincent M. Cooke, S.J., a spokesman for the New York Province of the Society of Jesus. The Society owns the property.

Massey Knakal had marketed Manresa as a “trophy development site” for $20 million under a bidding process.

Astride the Staten Island Expressway with expansive views of New York Harbor, the property has wide-open residential zoning. That has sparked concerns it could be developed with townhouses or small apartment buildings. Father Cooke has said suggestions for the site have ranged from college dorms to health care facilities to residential development.

Schneider declined to discuss the potential buyer’s plans and wouldn’t say how many bids were submitted.

Schneider said a closing is expected “soon” but could not provide a date. Father Cooke said it likely would occur after May 31, when the Jesuits leave.

The Society had announced in June of last year that Manresa — along with the St. Ignatius Retreat House in Manhasset, L.I. — would close by the summer of this year so the Jesuits could revamp their mission to focus on ministries for young adults and Spanish-language speakers.

Schneider said St. Ignatius is also in contract, but declined to say whether its buyer is the same as Manresa’s. St. Ignatius has been listed on the market at $49 million.

Manresa board members contacted by the Advance were also mum on its sale.

Former board member Conrad Schweizer expressed disappointment over the loss

of the iconic site, which has provided spiritual comfort to people from all walks of life since 1911.

“It’s unfortunate that an institution that just celebrated its 100th birthday is being sold. It seems you’d want to hang onto it,” said Schweizer, the owner of Schweizer Nurseries in Grant City, who spent much of his youth on the grounds, where his mother worked as a cook. “I understand the finances, but I don’t know why other avenues weren’t looked into with more gusto.”

Schweizer said buildings on the property are in “dire need of repair,” and cash is tight.

He said he’d prefer to see a senior-living or health-care facility built on the grounds, or something else that advances Catholic principles of aiding others.

John Fodera, St. Peter’s Boys High School principal and a Manresa board member, said Manresa’s closing will leave a huge void. The school has held retreats at Manresa for years and will now seek other sites — possibly the St. Francis Friary on Todt Hill or retreat houses in New Jersey or Connecticut.

“As the principal of St. Peter’s Boys High School, Mount Manresa has been an asset to us,” he said. “It’s going to be sorely missed, [but] our retreats will not stop.”

The property features 15.4 acres of chapels, gardens and grottoes.

The Jesuits will leave the seven existing buildings. Father Cooke previously told the Advance there will be nothing in the sales agreement preventing new ownership from demolishing them.

He said Thursday there may be “a process” of removing artifacts after May 31 from the property, but could not say where they would go or what, specifically. would be relocated.

In a statement, City Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore), whose district contains Manresa, said she hopes the new owner “recognizes the property’s historic value and keeps its character and charm intact.”

“It saddens me to hear that a major piece of Staten Island’s rich history will close its doors at the end of this month, and the property will be sold,” she said. Â

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Connie Lane, a founding member of the Circle of Friends of Mount Manresa, which raised money for the retreat house, also laments its demise. The Emerson Hill resident said the grounds have been an oasis for retreaters as well as community residents who strolled about, picnicked and relished the greenery.

“We hoped it wouldn’t happen,” she said. “It’s such a wonderful spot. We wished it would go on another 102 years. It was such a force for good.”

Borough President James P. Molinaro declined comment on the sale.

Mount Manresa has a storied history.

The improved land dates to 1860, when it was sold to Louis H. Meyer, one of the first presidents of Staten Island Savings Bank. Meyer joined an exclusive group who established estates around the borough, earning themselves the moniker “Staten Island Barons.”

In 1909, the secretary of the Xavier High School Alumni Society petitioned the Society of Jesus to establish a retreat house in the United States. Meyer’s site was chosen, and the first retreat at Manresa was held on Sept. 8, 1911.

A beacon of hope in times of need, Manresa lodged displaced tourists from 11 nations in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It also housed the Red Cross Service Center for Staten Island and a DNA collection and counseling center for victims’ relatives.

From about 2005 to 2011, at least 20 children — some of whom were rescued from the earthquakes in Haiti and Pakistan, the tsunami in Indonesia and war-torn Iraq — stayed at Manresa through the Global Medical Relief Fund.